Flamebait

Flamebait is a message posted to a public Internet discussion group, such as a forum, newsgroup or mailing list, with the intent of provoking an angry response (a "flame") or argument over a topic the troll often has no real interest in. (This is not to be confused with tweaking someone.)

There are various motives or explanations for this puzzling behavior. The most popular is the desire for attention and the desire for entertainment at the expense of others. Posted flamebait can provide the posting party with a controlled trigger-and-response setting in which to engage in conflicts and indulge aggressive behavior anonymously, without facing the consequences those behaviors would certainly bring to bear in real life.

It is often hard to determine who is really responsible for the degradation of a reasonable discussion into a flamewar. Someone who posts a contrary opinion in a strongly focused discussion forum may be easily labeled a "baiter", "flamer" or "troll". Therefore, it seems especially important to make the rules and focus of a discussion forum public to avoid misconceptions about its accepted use.

Taking the bait refers to someone who responds to the original message regardless of whether they are aware the original message was intended to provoke a response. Often when someone takes the bait, others will point out to them YHBT for "You have been trolled".

The conclusion to a flamewar precipitated by flamebait is often determined by recourse to Godwin's Law.

See also

• Internet troll
• Social software

External links and references

• Slashdot post example of flamebait
• jargon file reference for Flamebait
• older flamebait reference on USENET, 1985 (via Google Groups)
• Netizens Guide to Flame Warriors... images, text, humor on the types of flamer